BBC pundit names one thing Chelsea lacked in recent bad results – injured player could return next week to bring it

01/04/2025 02:00 PM

Chelsea entered into this run of easier games with their mouths watering. They were doing better than anyone expected, and just needed to make the most of a soft run.

Instead they've picked up 2 points from 12, and have slipped right back down the table. On BBC Radio 5 Live, Danny Murphy identified just what was going wrong at the moment:

"It's game management where Chelsea are lacking at times. They need to know when to slow things down, such as having some men drop off or having someone sitting alongside Moises Caicedo in the base of midfield, instead of this constant trying to go forward," the pundit said.

"Against Fulham, it was similar to today. It ended up being end-to-end, like a basketball game towards the end, and they lost."

When you think of a player who can sit alongside Caicedo and control the game, there's nobody that comes to mind faster than Romeo Lavia. He's the perfect profile – he just happens to be continually injured.

We would have fared far better in this recent run had he been available, that's for sure: no matter what the manager says.

Lavia return can't come soon enough for flagging Blues

Asked about the Belgian's fitness after the game, Maresca replied "hopefully the next game he can be involved."

We would assume that means a few minutes in the Morecambe FA Cup game next weekend, potentially getting him ready for a start against Bournemouth after that. Even if he is only fit enough to come on in the second half of that game against the rampant Cherries, that should be just what the team needs to help them manage games later on.

It will also help reduce the workload on Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, who are stretched to the limit right now.